What to do after 2 waiting 2 years

Actually it is unconditionally perposterous that a resource so many search engines and networks use can allow their editors to do 4 edits "every once in awhile" when this is the holy grail for anyone publishing content.

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Ok, then lets' fire all the editors who do less than 10 edits a month. Please explain how this improves the number of sites reviewed. While there are a number of ambitious, hard-working, obessesive editors who do hundreds of edits a month, not everyone has the time or desire to do that. Lets' say there are 1000 editors who only do one edit a month, that means, in a year, 12,000 edits got done by then. If we get rid of them, that's 12,000 less edits. The logic of why this is an improvment totally escapes me.

Sure this is volunteer work, but I'm sure there are many active individuals who know how to pick quality sites and be active, happily taking their place.

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Argh, thus shows the misunderstanding - you equate it to an office with a limited number of desks, and therefore you want the output from each desk to be maximum. But it is not an office, there are an unlimited number of virtual desks, each category may have any number of editors. If you see a category with two editors, and you think they are not being productive enough for you, then please apply. If you think you can get more done there, when your application is review, I'm sure the review will look at the workload, and if nohting much is getting done, there, a third editor could be assigned.

A person should not have to wait 2 years to receive a response.. and there is no legitimate argument that "they should not be waiting", given the weight DMOZ has over Internet search results, whether intentional or not.

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I fully agree, we don't ask anyone to wait. Please suggest your site and get on with life. Waiting is a stupid idea. We really just want to work on the directory in our own way, if you feel that Google puts do much emphasis on DMOZ, you should complain to them.

Maybe the Submit a Site option should just be removed if submissions are going to stay in limbo indefinately.

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Many editors would agree. Please note however, that is is "suggest a site" not "submit a site" - we changed the wording a few years ago, to try to elicit a better understading of what it's purpose is (I don't think that worked). In some categories, suggestions are a lot of spam, an an editor probably does abetter job by him/herselef, on other, editors rely on suggestions.

I think a lot of the problem here is faulty economic thinking. People assume there's a shortage of editorial slots and an overage of editors (like there are for cushy high-paid jobs). But editing isn't a cushy high-paid job, there is an infinite supply of slots, and (to the best of our ability, which isn't infinite) we consume all the editing effort that is available.

What there is an overage of is useless web sites. So it's far far more valuable to efficiently harness editors than it is to exhaustively cover websites. See, it really doesn't matter whether any particular website is ever reviewed. What matters is that we find the most effective way of finding lots of good, listable sites.

That makes me think of another analogy. If I go to the supermarket, and can buy a loaf of bread that tastes good, I'm happy, and the supermarket has done it's job. The supermarket cannot possibly stock every brand of bread that is available. Perhaps there is another brand that I might like better, but it's really not that important.

But if I'm wheat intolerant, it's important that the supermarket does provide an alternative bread made of spelt flour.

On the other had, the baker whose bread is not on the shelf is disatisfied, and feels the supermarket has failed him, and does not provide enough choice, since his bread is better.

Submission

Hello evryone this site is cool, ive been reading for almost 4 hours, I think its great that you can come to someplace to get answers.

I wanna become a webmaster soon

My boss tell me,if I can submit our site to ODP.He will give me a webmaster position.Who can help me? Great thanks

My boss tell me,if I can submit our site to ODP.He will give me a webmaster position.Who can help me? Great thanks

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If that is all it takes to become a webmaster - I need to find another line of work. Since anyone (even my computer illiterate father) can submit a site to the ODP, then I guess he could take my job.

And I wonder why we carefully review all of the submitted sites before we list them?

Eric-the-Bun said:

'Submit and forget' is honest - it does not mislead or create false hopes. It is clear and unambiguous.

Dmoz is a group of people who volunteer whatever time they feel they can spare to create a resource on the internet. We behave with great responsibility in trying to ensure that the resource - the result of of thousands of peoples work over many years - is of good quality.

We do not make promises to list any site within any time scale - it would be foolish to do so given the sheer volume of sites out there.

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I just, this morning, joined this forum to see if I could find out what was wrong with my web site, <URL removed>, that it didn't get approved. I have submitted it several times within the past year and now, in one of the above comments, I find out that I might have spammed the system by submitting too many times. I am also told to "submit and forget".

1. I have no idea whether through ignorance I have actually spammed the system or not.
2. I have no idea whether I will ever - a. get reviewed b. have been rejected c. got lost in the system or d. when, if ever, I can resubmit

I am very interested in any comments about my thoughts but after hearing them it doesn't seem that I should ever visit this forum again. My only concerns are those I mentioned in this note and apparently none of my concerns will be answered. If that is the case why do I need this forum?

Since my sole income is derived from proceeds devloped through sales from this site it is very important that I optimize my search engine status in whatever way I can. I am sure your volunteers are dedicated and try their best but surely there is a better way.

Thanks for listening (I think)

Jus-ol-Al

If that is the case why do I need this forum?

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Considering that you're looking for information that we can't/won't give, then the obvious answer to this question is "You don't."

Eric-the-Bun said:

We don't give status checks on individual sites.

I think you are confused as to why some sites you suggested were listed whilst another has not been and you cannot see anything in the one site that marks it out from the others as being unlistable.

The most probable reason why the site has not been listed is that it has not been reviewed yet. It is a case of waiting until an editor spends enough time in the relevant category to review your site which cannot be predicted.

What to do?

1) check that your site meets the guidelines just to be sure.
2) if you have only submitted it once to the most appropriate category 2 years ago, a resubmission won't be regarded as spamming
3) count your blessings - it is very much like a lottery and it seems as if you got lucky 4 times already.
4) forget all about it and carry on promoting your site(s) in other ways

Just to be clear - we never send feedback on sites we review.

regards

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I just, this morning, joined this forum to see if I could find out why my site, <URL removed> which I have submitted several times last year, has not been listed. The only things I can find are that I may have spammed the system by multiple submissions and to "submit and forget".

I will never be able to know whether - a. it has been reviewed and rejected b. If rejected, how I can improve the site c. been lost in the system d. I may have spammed e. I should have any hope f. when I should resubmit, if ever g. all of the above may be true

All of these possible reasons are, obviously, important to me since my web site is my primary income.

I would like to have a reply to my comments. I found out on my first visit to this forum that there is no way to find out the answers to my questions. Why would I ever find the need to visit this forum again?

I am sure that the volunteers are dedicated in the functions that they provide. Presumedly they also have web sites. Shouldn't one of their goals be to help others instead of keeping everything a mystery.

Thanks for listening (I think)
Jus-ol-Al

No need to repost exactly the same (and please remove the link to your site, resource site is not a forum for site promotion and gaining links).

I will never be able to know whether -
a. it has been reviewed and rejected
Correct, you won't know

b. If rejected, how I can improve the site
As you should not build sites for DMOZ there is also no way to improve a site for DMOZ. Build and improve your site for your visitors. And you can already do that now. You don't need to know if your site is or isn't listable in DMOZ.

c. been lost in the system
As you stated yourself "submitted several times last year" the chances of being lost are zero.

d. I may have spammed
If you suggested all times to the same category we probably wouldn't have noticed the spamming. If you suggest to many unrelated categories it might be.

e. I should have any hope
There is laways hope.
We can only promise that we will review all sites that get reviewed. We can't predict which suggested sites will be listed and which won't and we also can not predict when a suggested site will be reviewed.

f. when I should resubmit, if ever
Never

g. all of the above may be true
Or they all might be false.

You're right about "dedicated to functions they provide" -- and thank you for recognizing THAT. But there is also an even more stringent focus. As you say, many of us are either webmasters or even website promoters. And on those sites, or for those sites, we pursue our own interests. Others of us do not have websites, but merely contribute to other sites. But, whether or not I have my own website or contribute to other websites or offer services to other sites, what I do AT THIS SITE needs to serve the purposes of THIS site.

What I do at THIS site must add to the content of THIS site--obviously. Also obvious (but often forgotten!), is that I shouldn't interfere with anyone else who's also contributing to THIS site.

How do we know what would cause other ODP contributors trouble? Well, unfortunately, a lot of it is experience in doing things that accidentally caused trouble.

But some things would cause obvious harm. Suppose someone set up a forum to discuss, say, the ODP. And suppose someone else wanted to use that forum to get special services for his website. What would happen?

I don't have to guess, I know. But anybody could guess. Every spammer in the Nine Circles of the Inferno would swarm down on that forum, intent on using it to get privileged services for their spam. The creatures from the abyss, who are already suggesting 5000 spam suggestions a day, would simply convert to posting 5000 spam posts a day. Any other conversation would be drowned out by the pandemonium.

End of forum.

As you say, there must be a better way of website promotion. I can't tell what it would be -- I'm neither skilled, trained, or interested in that (which is why I contribute to other kinds of projects instead.)

You're welcome to try to create a better way. As you say, many ODP editors are also active elsewhere on the web: those who are interested in website promotion might participate in your project, if they think it's worthwhile. But whatever value that goal has (I won't express my opinion, it doesn't matter) and whoever wishes to help with that goal (whether or not they also contribute to the ODP) -- in any case, the ODP itself isn't likely to be involved. Because it was set up for something else.

It's like -- the rural mail carrier may occasionally run over a squirrel or rat. But that doesn't mean the Post Office is in the varmint extermination business! And telling them to change their routes to kill more rats, isn't likely to be persuasive.

jus-oh-al, I'd suggest NOT harboring hope. Instead, assume your site is your responsibility, TAKE responsibility, and do what you need. That is your best approach, whether or not an ODP listing ever happens!

As for whether the site can be improved or not, you know best what further you can contribute to the sum of human knowledge. I do not know what you COULD contribute (or even if you want to!); therefore I am not likely to be able to give you practical advice.